In general, automotive door hinges are attached to the hinge pillar of a vehicle by means of bolted or welded connection. The hinge pillar is usually a vertically oriented box structure constructed from an inner hinge pillar panel and an outer hinge pillar panel. With few exceptions, it is generally accepted that the door hinges are attached to the outer hinge pillar panel only.
If an automotive door hinge is connected to the outer hinge pillar panel substantially as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the phenomenon known as, "oil canning" occurs in zone A of FIG. 7. This oil canning occurs due to the outer hinge pillar panel being of inadequate gauge to carry the sag and open overload forces imparted by the door. When a load is placed on the hinge, the outer hinge pillar panel will tend to flex in the vicinity of the hinge in the manner of the base of an oil can. This can lead to the creation of a permanent set in the outer hinge pillar panel and will ultimately lead to fit and finish problems with the door system as it becomes misaligned with the surrounding body structure. This will also tend adversely to affect the opening and closing of the door system as a whole.
Outer hinge pillar panels in isolation tend to be structurally incapable of carrying door hinge loads and usually require some form of secondary reinforcement. However, the completed hinge pillar structure, constructed from the outer and inner hinge pillar panels is far stiffer than its constitutive components and is capable of carrying much larger loads. A reinforcing member adjacent the outer hinge pillar panel, as illustrated in FIG. 8, has been used to help reduce oil canning, but the results so achieved have been less then desirable.
It has been previously proposed to use a fastener to fasten the hinge through the outer hinge pillar panel to the inner hinge pillar panel including a tube surrounding the fastener which acts as a spacer to ensure that the outer hinge pillar panel and the inner hinge pillar panel do not collapse towards one another. This arrangement possesses the advantage of spreading the applied hinge loadings into the entire pillar rather than concentrating them on the outer hinge pillar panel and therefore significantly reduces oil canning. However, inclusion of the tube makes manufacturing the joint extremely complex.
In the prior art it is also known to weld hinges to the hinge pillar. The structure includes a hinge essentially welded to the outer hinge pillar panel, passing through the pillar and tack welded to the inner hinge pillar panel. This again offers the advantage of spreading the applied hinge loadings into the entire pillar rather than concentrating them on the outer hinge pillar panel. However, such a hinge is difficult to repair. In addition, often water may enter the hinge pillar if the weld is not properly completed leading to rust problems. An example of such a device is found in a hinge integral with a hinge pin receiving opening manufactured by Ed Scharwachter GmbH & Co. LG which is welded, not fastened, to the hinge pillar.
The present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art while providing for a strong and stable fastening structure and joint. The present invention also provides a low cost and simple means of fastening a door hinge to a vehicle.
It is therefore a basic objective of this invention to provide a hinge fastening structure and a method of creating a hinge joint which is simple, efficient and effective.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a hardware fastening structure and a method for attaching hardware to box-section structures.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a fastening structure and method of fastening which improves the overall performance of the hinge joint particularly with regard to resistance to applied loads.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a hinge fastening means with reduced weight.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a hinge fastening structure with improved rigidity.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel fastener for mounting hinges to hinge pillars.
Further and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when considering the full summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.